Where Do We Go From Here? on hiatus because of writers block :(
by thatplanthamster
Summary: Set about a month after the movie, Penny is dead. Dr. Horrible is up to something, and Captain Hammer tries to stop him. They end up locked in a room together, and one of them brought a freeze ray. Yes, this is boy x boy, mostly in the later chapters.


Okay, so I've been working on this story for awhile, if everything goes according to plan it should have 5 chapters. I don't own any of these characters, if I did (please excuse me while I go quickly imagine all the things I would make these characters do if I was Joss, be back in like 5 hours) that's be awesome. Reviews are much appreciated, i'm fine with constructive criticism but flames are annoying. Also, my (unofficial) beta is .net/u/2676421/Byrneshadow ... so yeah. Hope you like my story!

When Captain Hammer first woke up, he had no idea where he was or what had happened. He sat up and realized he was in his own room, and nothing was out of the ordinary. Then he looked at the girl sleeping next to him.

'Did I let her stay over? Did she just invite herself into my bed? Well, that was rude! Oh, maybe we… Wait what is she still doing here? Maybe if she wakes up and I'm not in the room, she'll just leave.' He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and slipped out of the bed cautiously.

He tucked the sheets around her, but realized he was showing compassion and abruptly stopped. But he couldn't help noticing how pretty she was as he looked at her sleeping form. He turned around and began to tiptoe across the room. Then he realized how stupid he looked, and quickly straightened up.

"Get a grip, Hammer." He mumbled to himself.

The not-so-superhero turned on the coffeemaker, impatiently tapping his foot. After about a minute, he stalked over to the couch and slumped onto the comfy mass of blankets.

"Might as well get some caffeine into my system, I'm still really tired. I should probably hide that before what's-her-face wakes up. I can't have anyone thinking I need anything to be as perfect as I am. What with the incident with that damn Dr. Horrible… How did he know pain's my only weakness! I can't stand to lose any more of those annoying but self-esteem boosting fangirls." He spoke to himself, not particularly caring because no one was around to hear. "What is taking that damn coffee so long?"

Captain Hammer got to his feet and dragged his feet to the kitchen. He turned off the coffeemaker, pouring what had already been made into a mug, and then promptly stuffed it all into a cabinet behind some dishes. Maybe he should straighten everything up, make things look nicer. Wait, what was he saying? Next he'd be asking the chick in his bed if she wanted to move in or something.

Now that he was thinking about it, he realized how creepy this was. He was up, trying to start his day, and she was just lying in his bed, possibly listening to all the things he had just said. But he couldn't just go in there and tell her to get out. True, he probably could get away with saying something mean to her; he was just that kind of guy. The hero in him couldn't do it, though. Doesn't mean he couldn't concoct a little white lie.

"Oh Jenna!" he called. "You awake yet?"

He walked in just as she opened her eyes. She stared at him for a second, trying to remember what had happened.

"Huh? What? Who… oh! Captain Hammer!" She exclaimed, and blushed a little as pieces of the night before came back to her.

"Please, call me… never mind. Let's stick with you calling me Captain Hammer." He paused for a moment, but finished his sentence suavely. He didn't like people knowing his actual name. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Listen, Jenna-"

"My name's Jessica!" she exclaimed, actual pain flashing across her face. Obviously she didn't know how he was with girls. They were all the same, clueless and obsessed. No one stood out, no one was special. Not even Jessica.

"Right, of course, Jessica! You see, the problem is, Dr. Horrible has a plan. Well, not necessarily a plan, but he's definitely up to something. He's probably out there right now; about to steal a baby, rob a store, maybe just being plain evil for a change. Ass needs kicking and if there's anything I'm good at, it's beating the shit out of Dr. Horrible. And I make some damn good toast." he explained slowly, noticing that she had been offended by him simply forgetting her name. He didn't want her to go tell everyone how terribly mean he was.

"Right! Of course! Could I maybe come with you? I've never actually seen you in action, and I'm sure I could help with the ass kicking and whatnot." she asked frantically, excited at the opportunity to do something exciting, and with Captain Hammer, too! Hope was alight in her eyes.

"Jessica, you saw me in action last night! I rocked your world, isn't that enough? I'm sure you could help, but Captain Hammer isn't the type to accept help, especially not from the likes of you... girly types. Now listen, you've been great, but I think you should leave." Captain Hammer blurted out without thinking. He realized he should've been more sensitive and caring with his words, but he couldn't help it! The girl was irritating! Wanting to come and help, thinking that he would let anyone else hurt Dr. Horrible. That was his job.

Captain Hammer got up, smoothing the sheets where he had sat. There was a bit of an awkward silence. He looked up and was surprised. Jessica had tears in her eyes, the hopeful light washed out completely.

'Did what I say really affect her that much? Normally the girls I sleep with just leave after I ask them to. Why is she reacting like this?' he thought to himself.

Then he thought back to what he had said. 'Isn't that enough? Especially not from the likes of you. I think you should leave.'

The reality of his words hit him hard and he quickly sat back down. His mind drifted to all the things he had said to other people. 'How many people have I made cry? Holy shit, I'm an asshole.'

She stood up suddenly, and, wiping tears from her eyes, quickly grabbed her clothes and ran into the bathroom to change.

He knew he should apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to get up and go talk to her. His mind was stuck somewhere else. All he could think about was the things he had said that offended other people.

Jessica came back out and started to gather her things.

"Jessica, wait!" he called half-heartedly.

"No, you want me gone, I'll leave. But you know what, Captain Hammer, up until right now, I agreed with everyone else. I thought you were amazing and a perfect superhero. But now I see that you're just an egotistical bastard and just thinking about last night makes me sick. Have fun defeating Dr. Horrible, I hope one day you actually feel pain. No, not physical pain, emotional pain." She said quietly, before calmly walking away and slamming the door shut behind her.

Captain Hammer was left sitting there; he hadn't really heard what she said because he was lost in his own thoughts. He had heard her mention Dr. Horrible though. He realized that Dr. Horrible had probably updated his blog last night, and he should probably check it out to see if he needed to hit the guy with a car again.

Captain Hammer grabbed his coffee and strolled over to the computer. Turns out Billy had uploaded a new video last night! "Hmm, let's see what the dickwad's up to.' He thought.

Doctor Horrible sighed as he stared at the screen. "So, I guess you guys are wondering what my evil plans are for tonight. Well, I don't have any. At the moment... I am planning something... kinda long term."

He paused for a second and looked around the room. If Captain Hammer didn't know better, he'd say the man wasn't sure what to say. Didn't he write down everything he wanted to say in some nerdy little notebook? Huh. Weird.

"You see, I think the aftermath of the big freeze ray incident is starting to wear off. I don't think Bad Horse thinks my evilness is all that evil anymore. But I have a PhD in horribleness, and I won't let anyone forget it!" Dr. Horrible seemed genuinely upset about this; didn't he know that he was the ELE's favorite villain?

Captain Hammer watched as Dr. Horrible ranted about how evil he thought he was. He did kill someone, but it was on accident. The dork had a crush on her too, so it backfired a little bit. Did this guy ever actually talk about things other people care about?

Captain Hammer leaned back and drank some of his coffee. His eyes drifted around the room and he caught a glimpse of an old picture he had long forgotten about. His mind was instantly filled with old memories and he had to look away before he did something stupid like cry.

"…and I deserve to be the leader of all things evil, it's all I ask for!" Dr. Horrible took a deep breath, and calmed down a bit. "Okay, let's try this again! I'm planning something big, guys. This will prove to everyone I am more than capable of being truly evil." He concluded. With a halfhearted wave, the video fizzed out.

'Well that wasn't helpful at all. All I know is that he's planning something evil. Aside from the usual not-so-evil thing." he rolled his eyes, "But he didn't give out any information. Maybe he finally realized I watch his blog and is trying to hide his plans and schemes from me. I'll figure it out eventually. I'm more than okay with beating up that dweeby, soggy sidekick of his, Moist, for information. That guy always makes me feel like I need a shower. Or some hand sanitizer." He looked at his hands in remembrance, shuddering at the memory and the phantom-like feel of the moistened young man.

Captain Hammer was so deep in thought that when the phone rang, he spilled his now-cold coffee all over his shirt.

"Seriously! This was a brand new shirt!" he grumbled to himself, trying to get rid of the stain with a napkin.

He angrily picked up the phone and hissed, "What?"

After hearing what they had to say, Captain Hammer's expression went from fury to worry. He wasn't a patient guy, and kept shouting at the other man to hurry up and finish explaining already. When he had finally stopped talking, the hammered hero swiftly hung up and ran to his closet. He pulled a clean shirt on and ran out the door, wondering exactly what the LAPD had in store for him this time.

Dr. Horrible paced around the room, running his hands through his hair. He normally wasn't this worried about things, but at the moment he was frantically trying to plan what he would say on his blog. He knew exactly what he would say if the last two months had never happened. Actually, he didn't have to plan out what he said two months ago. But it wasn't two months ago, it was now and everything had changed. He often forgot that and was always reminding himself.

He still didn't know what to say. He had to make sure he didn't let anyone know his original idea. He had to make it seem like he was plotting something evil, for Captain Hammer's sake. If he told anyone, his actual scheme wouldn't work. So he would just plan and then talk and hoped everything worked out.

'Okay, I'll talk about my "plan". I'll make it seem like it's going to be the epitome of evil. Then I'll just ramble about some random thing, to take up time. Maybe about the ELE, or Moist, or my freeze ray… no! Not the freeze ray. That was a secret. Oh, right, the blog! I guess I'll bring up my plan again before I turn off the camera.' The nerve-wracked villain was so nervous, and he wasn't sure he could do this. He grabbed a towel and tried to make himself look presentable.

He sat down, fidgeting with his goggles before finally putting them on. He stared at the camera, things he wanted to say popping into his head at the last minute. He put his finger on the mouse, clicked, and gulped.

"So I bet you guys are wondering what my evil plans are for tonight." He began.

The entire time, he could hardly keep track of what he was saying because his mind was just in another place entirely. He thought about all the people that were listening, and tried to not seem too shifty. He managed to say everything he wanted to talk about, and as soon as he was done, he sighed and wiped his brow.

'No one understands how hard this blogging thing can be, especially when you know who's watching.' He thought as he took off his goggles, he only wore them because at first he thought they made him look evil.

'I need to work on this. I can't keep on being this awkward, it's just going to convince my viewers I'm not that interesting and then they'll stop watching.' He thought about what had happened during the video, how nervous and stupid he had seemed. 'I'm going to be alone forever.'

He looked around at his pseudo-evil lab. No one actually knew that he was terrible at this sort of thing. He just did this to boost his image. Moist was the one he went to if he needed help with building something. Did everyone really believe he built that freeze ray all by himself?

Billy got up and went into the other room, intent on relaxing for the next few hours. He didn't feel up to anything that didn't involve doing nothing. He sunk down onto the couch, and gazed around the room. His eyes landed on the picture he still had of Penny.

He stared at the picture, got up and picked it up, rubbing the side of it with his thumb. His eyes went over her features, her red hair, her green eyes, and her pale skin. He noticed he didn't feel anything, he thought she was pretty, but that was it. He felt remorse, of course. Building, or at least helping build, the thing that killed someone will do that to you, especially if the person was innocent, like Penny. But Dr. Horrible hadn't pulled the trigger on the freeze ray; he hadn't intended to kill her. He refused to let himself believe that he was at blame any longer. At first, he only blamed himself. But then he forced himself to think rationally about what had happened. It was then that he saw where the blame lay. He knew he had to feel a little bit responsible, though. He refused to accept full responsibility for the crime, but the Evil League of Evil had no problem with it and neither did the media.

The doorbell rang and Billy almost dropped the picture. He shuffled towards the door, wondering who would be at his house that he didn't know well enough for them to just waltz right in.

"Oh hey, Moist! Come on in." Dr. Horrible exclaimed, happy to see his friend. "Can I get you something? Here, hold this." Moist held out his hand expectantly, nodding at Dr. Horrible's question.

The villain in question passed the picture to Moist and moved over to the kitchen to grab something for them to drink.

"No, it's fine Billy." Moist was holding the picture; you could see in his eyes that he missed her, a lot. "Penny. I didn't know you still had this. I know it's been a while and you've probably healed a bit, but I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It has been a while." Dr. Horrible scoffed. Yeah, he felt guilty, but he didn't miss her too much. It was kind of like if a very distant relative he didn't see much had died. He knew he should feel sad, but didn't, so he just pretended to.

"Well yeah, but it wasn't really all that long ago. You can't be over it already." Moist set the picture down and stared at Dr. Horrible.

"It wasn't the end of the world. Nothing truly terrible happened." Dr. Horrible looked down at his feet.

"What are you talking about? She was your world! And she... you... killed her" Moist cried in disbelief.

"We're evil villains, Moist, or did you forget? Death shouldn't be an issue, it shouldn't make us weak, it shouldn't bring us down." he gritted his teeth; Moist was starting to irritate him. He didn't look up and let the anger show, just spoke his words calmly and carefully. "And anyways... it wasn't my fault. It was a faulty gun. Happens to even the best of us." He finished with a shrug.

"But someone died! Why isn't that affecting you at all?" Moist all but screamed.

"Why are you being so goddamn stupid about this? Why can't you see that I don't care anymore? I cared for a while, I was emotionally shattered! But I. Got. Over. It! Why does it even matter if I care or don't care?" he yelled back, finally allowing the anger to spill into his words, standing up so he and Moist were face to face.

"Because this was Penny. Penny, the girl you loved. How can you be okay with her death? I barely knew the girl, and I care more than you do!" Moist pushed Dr. Horrible aside and ran into the other room.

"Moist…" he called, knowing how sensitive his friend was and regretting the harsh things he said. He walked into the room and Moist was sitting in his chair, facing away from him. "Moist, I'm sorry, okay? You just… I'm doing my best to be evil, what with getting into the ELE all that, and being evil shouldn't allow for grief and sadness about death.

Moist stormed away from him any time he tried to get closer, wrenching away when Dr. Horrible tried to hug him.

"I watched your stupid blog. Thanks for letting me in on your new plan. Glad to see I'm still priority. Would you treat my death the same? If I died, would you just suck it up and get over it? Am I that insignificant to you?" Moist said, not yelling, but you could hear the anger in his voice.

"What! No! Moist, you're my best friend! If you died, I… I don't know what I'd do without you." Dr. Horrible gasped, shocked that his friend really thought he would feel that way.

"Well it happened with Penny, why not with me?" Moist refused to catch Dr. Horrible's eyes, he wasn't as much mad as he was hurt.

Dr. Horrible reached out and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "When Penny died… I don't know why but it really doesn't affect me that much." Moist flinched and pulled away. "No, wait, let me finish. You're different. We've been through so much, and you've been right by my side the entire time. You're brilliant when it comes to building things, hell, you built that freeze ray. I wouldn't have even known where to start, let alone been able to put it all together. I'm so sorry for saying all those things." He took a deep breath and found the courage to continue.

"You're not insignificant. You're the most important part of my life, besides being evil. About the blog, I didn't know I had a plan until a few seconds before I turned on the camera. But if you're okay, we can talk about it and I'll tell you everything." He smiled and hoped the sincerity of his apology would be noticed.

Moist took a moment to breathe and think. He looked up at Dr. Horrible and realized how stupid this was. He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"I just have one question." Moist asked. "Don't you miss her? You did have feelings for her at one point; do you feel that way at all anymore? I've noticed, throughout the past few weeks, you've been acting strange. You were acting like you were… when you first fell in love with Penny. Do you still…?" he trailed off, but Billy knew what he meant.

He sighed and tried to think about it. Did he? He knew he really did love Penny at one point, but did he still have feelings for her? Eventually his thoughts became words, and he tried to explain it all to Moist.

"I'd stay up, staring at this exact picture, thinking about how we could rule the world together. But that was before. After she died, I realized that could never happen. I was in love with what I wanted her to be, with what we could be if she was someone else. But she was just… Penny. Sweet, kind, homeless-shelter-running, goody-two-shoes, save the Earth, peace and love, all-around amazing Penny." He smiled, thinking of the times they spent in the Laundromat just talking and having a blast.

"She deserved way better than Captain Hammer, but she wasn't for me either. We were total opposites (I almost put a star wars reference here… I'm just that cool). I used to look at this picture and get butterflies. Now I look at it and I just see… Penny."

Moist blinked, not sure what to say. He looked a little like a deer caught in headlights. "Wow, man. Just… wow."

Billy hadn't even heard him; he was still deep in thought. "So, basically, what I'm trying to say is… Hell yes, I miss her. But no, I don't have feelings for her anymore."


End file.
